The present invention relates to control of programmable devices or modules. In one aspect, the present invention is particularly useful in inventory and configuration control of modules that are physically identical but can be programmed with alternative configurations.
Various systems allow a user to track items such as manufactured devices or packages. For example, a barcode containing a model number or a serial number or other identifying indicia can be printed on a device or a package. An optical scanner connected to a tracking system can scan the barcode, so that the tracking system can determine the identity and location of the marked item. Such barcode systems rely on “line of sight” access from the barcode reader to the barcode on the item being tracked. In addition, while the tracking system can record various information pertaining to the location and status of the tracked item, the tracked item itself does not retain any information as to where it has been, or what processing steps have been performed on it.
More recently, radio frequency identification (RFID) devices include radio frequency transmitters that have been applied to products for tracking purposes. Such RFID devices contain information that they can transmit to a reader. The radio frequency transmitters do not require “line of sight” access from the reader.
Magnetic tags and sensors have also been demonstrated to track and verify the identity of products. Magnetic tags require close proximity between the information bearing tag and the sensor.
In various instances, holders or transporters of products may wish to alter certain information pertaining to a particular product after the product has been manufactured and entered the distribution channel. For example, a person may wish to know when a product passed through a particular stage in the distribution channel. Such information is important to maintain the freshness of time-sensitive inventory. Also, for certain types of products, such information can be used to detect if the product may have been inappropriately detoured along the distribution channel, which detours could indicate tampering or other mishandling of the product.
In other instances, certain families of products may be physically identical but have different programmable characteristics. If the programmable characteristics are set to create separate “products” when the product first enters the distribution channel, inventory control is complicated because the holder of the inventory must manage the inventory of several different products.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, programming an electronic monitoring tag attached to a printing apparatus replaceable module includes electronically reading tag identification data from an electronic monitoring tag associated with the replaceable module, and electronically verifying that the tag identification data matches predetermined identification criteria. If the tag identification data matches the predetermined identification criteria, electronically programming the electronic monitoring tag with tag content.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a programming device for programming electronic monitoring tags that are associated with printing apparatus replaceable modules, includes a tag writer adapted to program tag content into electronic monitoring tags, and a tag reader. The tag reader is adapted to read tag identification data from a first electronic monitoring tag associated with a printing apparatus replaceable module. The programming device also includes a data verifier that communicates with the tag reader. The data verifier is adapted to determine if the read tag identification data matches predetermined tag identification criteria, and to authorize the tag writer to program the tag content into the first electronic monitoring tag only if the data verifier determines that the tag identification data matches the tag identification criteria.